Educational Crusade or Product Masquerade? Exploring the Commercialization of Social Responsibility in America's Healthcare Industry

Unformatted Document Text:
COMMERCIALIZATION OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
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buildings, the attire of characters, and other seemingly irrelevant attributes of commercial
advertisements are chosen intentionally, aiming to resonate unspoken attributes of the product.
Messaris (1998) alleges, “in this sense, then, it could be said that analogy is bound to be a basic
organizing principle of any well-designed ad” (p.196). Though the effect may not be consciously
recognized, specific commercial elements often times deliver a nuance of meaning that resonate
with the viewer psyche. Exemplifying this premise, many participants reported that the brief clip
of a female character portraying a medical professional added credibility to the “Tell Someone”
message. One viewer explains,
Towards the end of the commercial, the doctor is standing there, describing
what to do...that kind of sticks out in your mind. You would tend to listen to
someone as a doctor, or someone in that kind of field of medicine... you
figure they would know more about [the issue].
While medical professionals typically foster credibility, hospital buildings often ignite negative
emotional responses by stimulating fear, apprehension, and anxiety (Messaris, 1998). As focus
group discussants point out, through tactile modeling choices, the creators of the commercials
connote more than what is explicitly said, silently conveying a threat to women’s health.
In Edward Bernays’ (1928) timeless manuscript, Propaganda, the author argues a
company should not sell a product, but rather market the vision that will advance consumer need
while convincing consumers they are the masterminds behind the industry inspired concept.
Perhaps revealing Merck’s fiscal motives, one viewer explained,
The lady [said] she wanted to go home and tell someone, and then like, the next image or
so later, it was the two ladies standing there. She had her hand on the [other] lady, so it’s
kind of like... reinforcing [the idea] to go home and tell people that you care about.

Authors: Crosswell, Laura.

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COMMERCIALIZATION OF SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

20

buildings, the attire of characters, and other seemingly irrelevant attributes of commercial

advertisements are chosen intentionally, aiming to resonate unspoken attributes of the product.

Messaris (1998) alleges, “in this sense, then, it could be said that analogy is bound to be a basic

organizing principle of any well-designed ad” (p.196). Though the effect may not be consciously

recognized, specific commercial elements often times deliver a nuance of meaning that resonate

with the viewer psyche. Exemplifying this premise, many participants reported that the brief clip

of a female character portraying a medical professional added credibility to the “Tell Someone”

message. One viewer explains,

Towards the end of the commercial, the doctor is standing there, describing

what to do...that kind of sticks out in your mind. You would tend to listen to

someone as a doctor, or someone in that kind of field of medicine... you